Summer Roadtrip!!!

 It's always fun to see a friends... at home... on trips... during school... at night... =) Friends just make up a huge and wonderful part of life!! On this grand trip, I was able to see MANY friends and family!  

It was so awesome to get to catch up with Lauren Rutherford for several hours as I began my journey. She is such a sweet and encouraging homeschool friend. I love that girl! :)

My adorable Aunt Polly! It was a DREAM COME TRUE to be in go to the farm and see the Lights in Indiana. =)

4 of the 7 INCREDIBLE Light boys!

One of the BEST and SWEEEEEETEST weddings of all time. My beautiful, sweet sister, Hannah Hoyt, and my fantastic, talented brother, Brandyn Graves. I enjoyed hearing about them meeting, watching them date, knowing when they got engaged, the 4 years at Freed for Hannah and time together at the end of school, and then!

A wonderful few days spent being goofy, eating fantastic food, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, singing, laughing, crying. Just being a FAMILY. It was P.E.R.F.E.C.T!!!!!!!!!!

My Miss Pam, my Second Mom. She is SO beautiful!

Meeting Shannon and worshiping at Towne Aches, staying with my SC/Indy Momma, Mindy, and seeing the Lights, adding a new state to my list of ones I've visited, and lots of phone calls... YEP!!! A great first leg!

Norman and Debbie. I LOVE THEM!!!

Spent a great Sunday morning with friends in person, talked to friends all afternoon on the phone on the way to Cordova, and then got to spend a wonderful Monday morning with my sweet, sweet Owens girls! I adore their family and always love to spend time with them, even if just a few minutes. They are such GOOD girls. They encourage me to be the very best that I can be-- and they make me laugh. They are superrrrrrr cool! While in the Memphis area, I met up with one of my Memphis families, the Mangrums, and had PIZZA and got to visit. How could it get better than that?! Life is just GREAT with friends around, I'm tellin' you!

Next stop was Mississippi-- to see my Julie and her family-- and to meet the newest member, Jasper!

I LOVED playing with my nephew, Cole, too! It's a pretty awesome thing to be called "Aunt KaraBoo." We played with legos and went to the park, we raced and watched movies, talking, and ate lots of food. It was a GREAT few days just being a part of the family and enjoying a few slow days to watch a small baby and a cool boy grow. It thrills me every time to be with them and see how a family should look who obeys God.

My sis, Julie, and my nephew, Jasper. =)

Visiting with my dear "heroes," my preachers' family, was, as always, enriching and fun. I adore them!!

The last leg of my trip was not planned 100% of the way when I left Missouri... Somehow, I was gonna see my Shonie. And, I'm soo thankful that it did work out to do just that! We met at Gran and Grandad's- right in the middle of where the two of us had been. She is such an encouragement in my life. I learn a lot from her and love to talk to her. Patrick, her husband, is fantastic and funny. It was incredible just to be back in TN and see my grandparents again. I love going home to TN! Rachel Kee was able to swing by, also totally unplanned. SO AWESOME. 

This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. BIG life events... and it was 

AMAZING. 

So blessed to have a job where I could do this, friends to talk to while on this trip both where I was visiting and so many other places, and a fantastic home to come to at the end-- spent the night with my Barretts in Higginsville and loved every minute of that! :-)

LIFE IS GOOD! 

AND SO IS TRAVELING!